Friday, June 09, 2006

Is that spine we see growing back there?

A couple of weeks ago Archbishop Dolan is said to have sent out a message to his priests that included warning about the length of masses. Basically, keep it under and hour guys. Specifically (having seen a copy of the e-mail) he told his priests to get the liturgistas under control and don't let them cram and push ever symbol and ritual into every mass. THANK YOU Sir! It's about time. Now when are you going to clean house in you Office of Liturgy and Inclusive Language?

That last little dig aside, it seems that His Excellency is actually beginning to pulls in the reins (just a little, and only sort of), read on...

Yesterday, Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan sent an e-mail to all of his priests. It included these somewhat surprising paragraphs:

10. May I speak to you about a couple delicate issues? The first would be guidelines about hosting a speaker or a group in the parish or under Church auspices. Some bishops, as you know, have drawn up very detailed rules about this. I have not gone that route, and hope I do not have to. Canon Law, diocesan policy already in place, common sense, and love that all of us have for the Church, should guide us. I have trust in your prudential judgment, and in your ecclesial wisdom that you would never invite or host a speaker or a group that has publicly taken stands blatantly at odds with clear Church teaching. There are speakers or groups who certainly may not be "my cup of tea," but who still stay "within the boundaries," and I trust your judgment about invitations to them. We need dialogue, we are not afraid of respectful probing and earnest examination of Church teaching; but there has to be a limit. One speaker whom I would ask you not to have is Dr. Daniel McGuire. He should never be given an invitation or provided a platform at any parish in the archdiocese. He has recently publicly stated that both Archbishop Weakland and I have welcomed him to any parish in the archdiocese, which necessitates this corrective. His position on abortion - - and on a number of other areas - - is so radically outside Church teaching that his appearance at any parish would be a grave scandal and a cause of disunity in the Church. Dialogue about Church teaching and pressing pastoral challenges is always welcome. But the above speaker is not into dialogue but into clear and purposeful dissent from Church teaching: He gets enough attention without us giving him another platform.

11. The second sensitive area is intercommunion. Recently, two priests approached me very upset because each had lately been at funerals where the celebrant had announced, "All are welcome to receive Holy Communion." I don't blame them for being upset. Such a statement is untrue and unjust. While there are indeed situations where the reception of Holy Communion by a non-Catholic Christian under special circumstances is licit, and while I trust your prudence in following Church discipline to determine such circumstances, it is never pastorally wise or theologically sound to publicly announce that, "All are invited to receive the Eucharist." Please do not do it! The bishops' conference, as you know, has issued a very respectful and sensitive set of guidelines http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/intercom.shtml that should be adhered to, and which can easily be re-printed in missallettes and Worship Booklets at liturgies such as funerals, weddings, or other big occasions when non-Catholics are welcome.

As to speakers at parishes...yippee. A little late (Voice of the faithful at All Saints, Women's Ordination at St. Matthias, etc.) but at least it's something. But, for two steps forward there is one step back. The Archbishop shows his naivete once again by asserting that, relative to his Weaklandista pastors "I trust your judgment about invitations."

Your Excellency, if you could trust your pastors, you wouldn't need to say anything in the first place. Right?

But, at least there is finally a public statement about Dan Maguire. Now we are just waiting for Fr. Bob Wilde at Marquette to do something.

As to intercommunion, please see my June 4th posting. As for "anonymous" who is appalled that we not invite anyone and everyone to communion, raspberries to you and to the multitude of priests who de-value the Eucharist be making it out to be more like snacks at a cocktail party than the very heart of what makes us Catholic.

The best part about the intercommunion paragraph of the Archbishop's e-mail...did you notice it...hold your breath...I can't really see any equivocation in his part. Now that's a first. Good going Your Excellency! It's about time!

3 Comments:

Dan McGuire said...

Mike,Any chance you have access to the actual text of the Archbishop's e-mail> I'm wondering because if the post on your site is accurate I may have to contact the Chancery myself. I am Daniel McGuire, a doctoral candidate in Theology at Marquette - for obvious reasons I am familiar with the heretical notions of Dr. Daniel Maguire and take pains to ensure that I am not being confused with him. I hope I don't need to contact the Archbishop. But if he did warn his whole diocese, I'd like to know so I can ask for a clarification. I'd just remaind him about the time he met me and spent an hour holding my 10 day old son - named Timothy! That would do the trick.

Thanks,I think I'll send a letter to the Chancery just to see if there was a mix up - as a struggling graduate student with eight children, I would hope I am not being shunned for speaking opportunities at other venues based on this correspondence.

As for Fr. Massingale, I think the responses from Dr. Christopher Wolfe (MU Philosophy) and Dr. Ralph Del Colle (MU Theology) published by the Herald pretty much sum up the attitude of the circles I run in.